Greenwich Conservatives this week condemned as a waste of money nearly £7,000 spent by the Labour Council on a cocaine helpline. 
 
The money was spent on tissue packets, beer mats, lip salves and mints which advertised “a line not to be sniffed at” with the logo “Ask to speak to Charlie”. 
 
Of the £7,000 more than £1,600 was spent paying the Council’s own design department to design packaging and develop the slogans outlined above. Unfortunately despite this expenditure, the Council neglected to include any reference to the phone line in its own website. The Greenwich Council Drug and Alcohol Action Team includes no reference to the line on its own page on the Council website.
 
Leader of Greenwich Conservatives Cllr Spencer Drury said “Yet again this Council has failed to make sensible decisions when spending taxpayers money. To spend £7,000 advertising a phone line which is not even mentioned on the Council’s website is simply ridiculous.”
 
“Similarly, I am not sure that using the Council’s design department or printing services offers good value for money, not least as I could find cheaper producers of beers mats in only a few seconds on the internet.”
 
The actual costs were:
 

10,000 Leaflets              

£428

300 posters                   

£646

A3 posters                   

£110

Branded products:

5000 tissue packets            

£3500

1000 Lip salve                 

£700

10,000 beer mats                

£800

1000 mints                    

£800